Atomic Heart: “Enchanting of the Sea depths” – between the bottom and enthusiasm. Review

Played on PC

After two absolutely optional DLC, Atomic Heart has finally received a more integral addition that attracted the attention of fans of the original game. The “spell of sea depths” and slightly moves the story forward, and develops the characters, and introduces new characters, and offers several new mechanics and abilities. And, most importantly, it invites Neptune to the atmospheric underwater complex, where you have to face the gloomy secrets of a scientific object, face the results of wild experiments and … play a ball with dolphins! It sounds like an excellent addition, but, alas, not all its elements cause delight.

Despite the name, about a third of the DLC takes place on land, where well -known faces are waiting for us

⇡#Family matters

The next paragraph contains the plot spoilers of the main game.

«The spells of sea depths ”continue the story begun in Atomic Heart- in the version of the final, where Major Sergey Nechaev defeats the twins (which turn out to be two parts of the consciousness of his wife Katya), gets to his former chief of Sechenov and then turns out to be devoted to a combat glove … more precise OM – a polymer entity with the consciousness of Khariton Zakharov (former ally of Sechenov). Once an even more dubious personality, the burdock took control of all the robots of the Union and firmly decided to sow chaos, death and devastation. Only Major Nechaev and his wife, whose consciousness is now in Sergey’s glove, can first find the beta-nanctors who will give the heroes a chance to stop the robe-apocalypse. Only here is bad luck: during the main game, the major threw them into the sea …

Our path lies with the Neptune submarine scientific station, where many strange studies and dubious tests were carried out, the results of which we have to encounter. It is possible, for example, to talk with dolphins who can not only communicate with people, but also understand poetry, conduct artistic performances, and also ask serious philosophical and ethical issues.

Do you refuse such a charm to play the ball a little more?

However, do not expect serious worldview disputes – in terms of ideas, the addition is straightforward and does not even try to give the depths, meanings and context to what is happening, like BIOSHOCK, or at least an original game. The DLC focus is fundamentally shifted by the history of the Relations of the Fet Nechaevs. And the laboratory complex itself, the studies conducted here, and the whole story of the search for beta-connectors are felt only by the background for their storyline.

And with this line, not everything is smooth, more precisely – with its presentation. Conceptively sounds good: spouses-spurs who wiped their memory forced to work against their will, and then scary in a deadly duel, try to recognize each other again, accept past mistakes, forgive and love again. It seems to be a serious and soulful story, and, formally, the narrative goes on just this road. Only now, in the little things, everything begins to crumble: the emotional development of the relations of the heroes occurs with jumps, where they are almost strangers, then suddenly in love with the ears, then again removed, then again declare love to the coffin. Such sharp transitions occur literally in seconds, in neighboring dialogs. Obviously, the developers themselves felt some dissonance and added Katya a replica that, due to the separation of consciousness, her emotional state could jump from one extreme to another. But then where did the mood of the mood and emotional changes in the major from the major?

Although Nastya looks at us from all advertising materials of additions, her role in DLC, alas, is minimal and extremely functional

However, the main complaint to Nechaev is different: the cheerful major became too cheerful – he pounds with sharpnesses as from a machine gun (and often out of place at all), and sometimes completely gives out … advertising integration. And this is not even a joke: the “spell of sea depths” really promote one well -known supermarket network right during the game, and it can hardly be counted as a clever flirting with methanarrativa – it is implemented without the slightest layers of irony. And in general, flirting with the fourth wall turned out to be extremely chaotic and excessive: almost every third phrase of heroes is references, jokes with a prefix “meta” or direct quotes from other video games. This greatly reduces the significance of the addition as an original work, and simply tires.

⇡#«Whip ” – progress engine

If on the semantic and narrative field the “spell of sea depths” is more closer to the bottom, then the game elements are executed by an order of magnitude better. Here we must pay tribute to well -balanced battles and a rather competent distribution of clashes on DLC – the fights do not have time to get bored, but there is no shortage of them either. And the setting of action scenes, as usual, is at a high level.

Among the enemies there are old acquaintances and new people who want to tear off the major head – for example, huge armored crabs

New units of weapons like a thunderer’s hammer or a Kuzmich shotgun, which can easily be called one of the most powerful Armic Heart arsenal, add courage. This is an absolutely deadly weapon with a murderous main attack, which perfectly copes with single targets, and a powerful electric charge as an alternative fire regime, which will easily give a whole crowd of adversaries. And most importantly, it is very pleasant to shoot from this shotgun! Particularly good “Kuzmich” is revealed in combination with the new abilities of Nechaev.

Alas, many abilities from the original game in DLC are not represented, but instead of them the “spell of sea depths” offers two new useful skills. The “tan” incinerates enemies with explosion in the region, and, for example, can increase the damage of near-fighting by burning enemy, or turn into a ligger. But the program of the program is a “whip”, a skill that opens the opportunity to attract to certain objects and fly along the arenas like a Bouquer Devitt with his hook; Or swiftly get closer to the enemies, immediately treating them with a lead from Kuzmich. And with small improvements, the “whip” will also restore the major health with the trenched with adversaries – more convenient and faster than a standard first -aid kit!

Eleanor no longer burns with passion for Nechaev, she now has a new love of interest … But the weapon still improves

«Knut ”is not only an optional combat instrument, but also the basis of many gam-design solutions DLC. Say, in contractions with bosses, moving abruptly through the air is a vital necessity, otherwise it is simply not to survive. The same applies to some battles with ordinary opponents – they periodically serve electricity on one of the areas on the floor, and at such moments to soak to the ceiling will be a great idea. And the interaction with the world and the ordinary movement by locations are now unlikely to do without a “whip”. There are even whole segments built on dexterous air equalibrics – for example, a tunnel, where it is necessary to dodge trains that they rush towards Nechaev. It is true that in contractions, that in the non -eating segments of the “whip” sometimes does not record pressing, which inevitably leads to death. However, this is a minor drawback against the background of the courage that gives the “whip” and the entire updated arsenal of a new addition.

***

«The spell of sea depths ”do not represent a special narrative value, and the development of the heroes turned out to be crumpled and inconsistent. But from the gameplay point of view, the third addition to Atomic Heart turned out to be swift and fascinating, which will have to taste fans of the universe.

Advantages:

• Dynamic linear adventure with dashing contractions;
• New abilities and weapons make combat episodes truly exciting.

Disadvantages:

• The promising underwater research complex in fact turned out to be only a background for what was happening;
• The development of heroes is extremely inconsistent and chaotic;
• The clumsy advertising integration with a network of grocery supermarkets looks like an extremely bad joke.

Graphic arts

Like the main game, the “spell of sea depths” is performed at a high visual level (however, tracing of rays is still in Bete). It is a pity that with fascinating marine species in the addition of the inextheistic – mainly the action takes place in the gray corridors of the scientific complex.

Sound

If, in the matter of basic interaction with the world (shots, abilities, effects), the addition is executed with dignity, then the technical part of the information of the dialogs suddenly turned out to be crooked. Replicas every now and then layers on top of each other, break off in a half-tongue, and sometimes only subtitles indicate that a dialogue is actually happening.

But the musical design, as before, is trying to surprise with powerful guitar cuts and modern arrangements of Soviet melodies. I was especially remembered: the processing of a “funny carousel”, accompanying the extermination of the next heap of opponents, and the metal version “in the Blue Sea, in the White Pena”.

Single player game

Saturated by an action adventure with several narrative disadvantages.

Estimated time of completion

The plot of the “charms of sea depths” will take you about four hours, and a little more, if you want to study each corner of the Neptune complex.

Collective game

Not foreseen.

General impression

A good addition that will definitely like fans of the original game, even despite some shortcomings of the narrative and confused development of characters.

Rating: 7.0 / 10

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